Sunday, May 1, 2016

LA Food Truck Reviews #3: The Crispy Cuban

So its finals season, and I'm taking a break from working on a paper about Marxism.  I'm deciding what to get for dinner, when I glance down at my Twitter feed.  Lo and behold, The Crispy Cuban is on there way to York Boulevard.  From a socialist writer to eating food from a socialist country, is this fate or what!



Anyhow, I get there at around 6:35, there's no line, it's parked in front of Block Party, a local bar.   I'm excited.  Of course I order "The Crispy Cuban", their namesake sandwich which comes with slow roasted pork, house cured ham, thinly sliced dill pickle, imported Swiss cheese (which I opted out of), mustard butter, all on a crispy Cuban baguette.  I also decide to try it "French Dip" style, which is their au jus served on the side for an extra $1.50.

Now before I go any further, it's worthy to note that there's signage that says that this sandwich is what inspired the Jon Faverau movie Chef.

So, first off, it's a pretty decent looking sandwich, about maybe 6-8 inches, cut lengthwise so that you have two halves at 6-8 inches.  This sandwich was really good.  The bread was very crispy/flaky.  It wasn't big, it wasn't stiff like a normal French Baguette.  It had a crust that came apart with each crunch, and a soft inside that didn't stretch or pull, but just gave way.  The sliced cured ham and slow roasted pork was amazing.  The pork had a great mixture of lean and fat, allowing each bite to be different.  The dill was super refreshing and really contrasted with the mustard.  With the au jus, everything is just accentuated.  It's made from the slow roasted pork shoulder and other meats to have this extremely deep flavor.  You could taste a little bit of a tomato base, which the sweetness and acidity really builds upon the sandwich.  I think what would make this sandwich better is a little bit of heat, something that the dill can really contrast on, because the mustard itself isn't that harsh. Otherwise, it was a good trip, $9.50 for the sandwich, and I probably won't get the au jus again, but I really enjoyed it.  If they're around again, I would love to try their fries or bowls.

You can find them at their website or their Twitter feed.


1 comment:

Nick said...

It's not one or the other, they're both true statements. Socialism refers to the socialist policies that are enacted by the government, such as health care, education, welfare...